Written by

James Reston Jr.
USA Today

Ever since I published my book, "Collision at Home Plate" in 1991 about the lives of Pete Rose and Bart Giamatti, I've steadfastly argued against Rose's induction into baseball's Hall of Fame.

Rose committed the "cardinal sin" of the game: He bet on games while he still was managing the Cincinnati Reds. He did not admit it for many years, went to jail for tax evasion and is not a very nice fellow. How could you reward such a crum bum with baseball's highest honor?